Laura Kaye - Hard As It Gets

It was that simple and that complex.

As she watched him make plans with his team, her chest suddenly constricted. Because she realized she was looking at someone who had the power to send her flying or crashing from the heights. And, oh God, the more they talked about the possible risks at each of the locations, the more her gut clenched with the understanding of just how much danger they were in, and how much more they might yet face.

And he doesn’t think he has much to lose.

Becca nearly gasped at the memory of his words. She had to tell him. He had her.

Murda cut away from the group, pulling her out of her head. “I’ll be right back,” he yelled, boots echoing off the hard floor as he double-timed it toward the door.

“Probably only need two or three men for this,” Marz said. “I figured I’d stay here to make sure the bugs were coming through loud and clear and look for additional cameras on our hot spots. Too much testosterone traveling together might raise suspicion with these guys. And someone should stay with Becca. Who’s up for some recon?”

“No offense, Marz, but I’ve been your computer bitch all damn day, so I wouldn’t mind a boondoggle,” Easy said with a laugh.

“I’ll stay with Becca,” Nick said, giving her a smile that just hinted at the dimple.

Shane pointed to himself. “You just voluntold me I should go for the sexin’ up.”

“Dude, I got that shit covered, and then some.” Easy winked, and Becca couldn’t help but chuckle. The black Under Armour shirt he wore highlighted every dip and ridge of his muscles. Saying he was impressively built was a gross understatement. No doubt if he and Shane walked into a bar, every other man’s arm in the room would grow cold as the women all drifted their way.

“All right, this doesn’t need to turn into a jack-off contest,” Marz said with a chuckle.

Geez, good thing she didn’t embarrass easily. The people she worked with—doctors and nurses alike—could be some of the most humorously crude people she knew. The high-stress environment of the emergency department demanded the release. If people weren’t having sex in the on-call room, they were at least joking about it.

“Prepare to be impressed, Marz,” Beckett called, returning to the gym. “I have toys.” On the edge of the table, he laid out an oversized tablet with antennae sticking out and several small cell-phone-sized devices.

“Aww, man,” Marz said, picking up the camera like he was Gollum discovering the ring.

“What is it?” Becca asked.

Beckett crossed his arms. “An X-ray camera with see-through-the-wall technology. Can determine a person’s location, speed, and direction through walls as thick as one foot. It’s essentially a radar system that measures changes in WiFi wave frequency. It’s so sensitive, it can tell the difference between an inanimate object and a person’s breathing pattern.”

“This has got to be a pre-market prototype, Beck. You gotta have some good friends doing R&D work. Or are you into testing equipment for law enforcement?”

Beckett smiled. “Let’s leave it at good friends. Here’s what I was thinking—for all of these locations, humans on the main floor make total sense. But this might allow us an eye into the nonpublic spaces of these buildings. If this picks up an identifiably human target, as indicated by breathing patterns, but it remains stationary, that could be our prisoner. Not foolproof by any means, but maybe another way to rule these locations in or out for further investigation.” He grinned at Marz. “I knew you’d appreciate it.”

“I want to procreate with it.” He winked at Becca, and she adored how easily he could make her smile. “Sorry. I get a little overexcited.”

She just held up her hands and chuckled. Didn’t want to touch that with a ten-foot pole.

“Well, you’ll get a chance to play, because it can send a feed back to your computer, so you can start analyzing the data if you want,” the big guy said. “Just sync the devices.”

“Damn skippy, I want.” Marz rubbed his hands together and dove into setting up the scanner.

Beckett picked up the cell-phone-like devices. “And I brought a couple GPS trackers, too. If we see any vehicles that seem worth tracing, I can attach these and they’ll send an alert to my phone any time the target vehicle moves. Might lead us to other likely stash spots if these turn up empty.”

Easy settled a plastic bag on the desk. “We also have burn phones for everyone. So grab a cell and let’s take a minute to program in each other’s digits.” They all reached in and took turns announcing and programming numbers.

Color her impressed. She never doubted they’d know what they were doing. But imagining it and seeing it were two different things. “You guys are like MacGyver, except instead of paper clips, pocket knives, and rubber bands, you have really cool electronics.”

Everyone except for Marz let out a groan. His face totally lit up. “MacGyver was a god among men.”

Easy rolled his eyes. “Dude, MacGyver had a mullet.”

Marz held up a hand. “I refuse to hear you. Becca, between your three-legged dog and your MacGyver reference, you are officially my favorite person in the room right now.” And there he went, earning another smile from her.

“Hey, I brought toys.” Beckett’s indignant expression was almost comical.

“Fine,” Derek sighed. “It’s a tie.”

Becca smiled at Murda, and he threw her a wink. “Please be careful,” she said, her throat suddenly going tight.

They all nodded and reassured her. Nick stepped in close, his arm against her shoulder. “Watch your sixes out there,” he added. “And thanks.” Something seemed to pass between Nick and the rest of his team, an understanding perhaps. Becca still didn’t understand the latent tension that undergirded most of their interactions, and she was glad to see a bit of détente setting in. Even if it was only temporary, there was too much at stake for all of them for old conflicts to get in the way now.

“Just let me know what order you want to hit the locations, and I’ll play along at home.” Marz waggled his fingers over his desk. “Just remember that the strip club closes at three a.m. That’s probably the only one you’ll be able to get into at night, so make sure you get inside.”

“Oh, we will,” Shane said.

Easy scooped up the paperwork and bag of electronic bugs and shoved Shane toward the door. “Get your southern ass moving, McCallan.”

Beckett pocketed the GPS trackers, tucked the scanner under his arm, and knocked twice on the tabletop. “Luck.”

“Luck, hell,” Easy called. “Carpe scrotum!”

When they disappeared through the door, something almost like peacefulness settled over the cavernous gym. It was like someone turned down the volume on a radio. Becca let out a sigh, because it was very likely the quiet before the storm.

“Hey, Becca,” Marz said. She turned her gaze toward him, surprised to find an unusually serious expression on his face. “I know I cut it up a bit. Just want you to know it’s not because I’m not taking this seriously.”

A warm pressure filled her chest. If she had one thing going for her in all this, it was the complete certainty that she and Charlie were in the best possible hands with Nick and his team. “I never would’ve thought anything else, Derek, but thanks.” Her stomach growled, embarrassingly loud. Marz cocked an eyebrow. “Am I the only one starving?”

Nick squeezed her shoulders from behind. “No. I could eat a horse. Let’s go grab some food. Probably be a while before any intel starts arriving.”

“Yeah, go eat. I chowed earlier. My babies will keep me company,” he said, stroking a hand over the big laptop.

“Jeremy?” she asked.

He’d been unusually quiet since they came upstairs. “No, I ate earlier, too. Mind if I hang here, Derek? I’m curious how all this works.”

“Mi casa es su casa. Well, I guess that’s literally true, isn’t it? Pull up a seat.”

Jeremy swung a folding chair around and sat on it backwards.

Nick wrapped his arm around Becca’s shoulders and they made their way across the gym. “Come on,” he said. “I’ll whip you up some of the meanest reheated pizza you ever had.”

When he finished his slices of pizza, Rixey watched Becca nibble at the crust of the single piece she’d eaten. Not sleeping, not eating, and under a lot of stress—it was a recipe for getting sick or breaking down. “I know what you need,” he said, slipping from the bar stool.

She gave a small smile. “What’s that?” The sleepiness in her gaze gave way to something a whole lot more engaged. Her eyes dragged over his body, trailing heat in their wake.

Rixey wanted to throw his idea out the window, but one need at a time.

“Chocolate ice cream.” He grabbed the tub of double chocolate fudge brownie from the freezer and proudly presented it to her. It was the same half gallon she’d chosen the other night, when they’d wound up boxing instead, and kissing . . . His cock twitched against his fly at the very fine memory.

Her face brightened, dispelling some of the shadows hanging around her eyes. “Chocolate ice cream is a proven remedy for almost anything that ails you. Medical fact.”

“I knew you’d see it my way.” He gathered bowls and spoons and dished out two mounds. “Wanna move to the couch?”

“If I do, I might fall asleep.”

“Then I’ll hold you.” He hadn’t even thought to say the words. They were just out of his mouth before his brain caught up. But, damn, he felt their rightness down deep. Meeting her gaze, he absolutely adored the affection that filled her baby blues. He grabbed their desserts and nodded her over.